6 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Moving On To A New Relationship

Once you’ve made the transition from taken to single, it’s hard to transition back to a relationship. Sometimes, you’re stuck in your single ways. Other times, you’re still hung up on your ex. Whatever the reason, it can be hard to know if you’re ready to take the leap and start a new relationship. Lucky for you, we’re here to help! Check out the following six things that indicate your readiness to move on to a new relationship. If you answer yes to all of the following questions, you’re ready!

1. Are you comfortable with yourself?

If you’re happy with where you are in your life, then it’s a sign that you’re ready to let someone else into your life. It’s hard to let another person love you if you can’t love yourself first, so make sure you’re happy with everything else in your life. If you’re thinking of making a big change, like moving to a new city or switching careers, it might be best to wait until everything has settled down before taking the plunge.

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2. Are you satisfied with being single?

Singleness scares some people, and that’s fine. It can definitely be scary to not have the comfort of a significant other. That being said, you’ve got to be comfortable with yourself before you can be comfortable with someone else. Additionally, you shouldn’t begin a new relationship until you’ve gotten your singleness out of your system. Make sure you’re totally comfortable with yourself and that you’re ready to move on to a new chapter.

3. Are you prepared to communicate?

Communication is key in relationships. After all, your partner can’t read your mind, so make sure that you understand the importance of communication. Talking things out and getting on the same page is vital. Try this out by practicing good communication with your friends, family members, and coworkers. If you can communicate effectively with them, chances are you’ll be able to do so with your new beau or lady friend.

4. Have you stopped visiting your ex’s Facebook page?

We’ve all been there, trust me. But making visit after visit to your ex’s profile will only make you feel more lonely, and it’s a sign that you’re not ready to move on to a new romantic relationship. Let your ex go, and soon you’ll feel ready to get back out there and meet someone new. Another tip: don’t get into a new relationship unless you think you’re ready to be with someone who isn’t your ex. Just because things are different, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be just as good — and probably even better!

5. Can you let the little things go?

Getting hung up on every little thing that bothers you is a recipe for failure. Everyone has slightly irritating habits. Don’t let these get in the way of forming a new relationship. Try to find something positive in the little things, or learn to simply ignore them. Truth be told, you probably have annoying quirks, too, and your partner tolerates those. Return the favor and practice patience and understanding.

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6. Do you want to date, rather than feel like you should date?

It’s an all too common problem: everyone around you is dating or in a serious relationship, and you’re feeling like the odd one out. Start a new relationship if and only if you want to…not just because it’s what everyone else is doing. Jumping on the bandwagon like that will just lead to disaster for your relationship, and whomever you’re dating deserves more than that. So take your time and don’t worry about what others are doing. Your time will come, and then you’ll be ready to dive headfirst into the world of dating once again.

7 Ways To Deal With Negative People

Some people will have a rain cloud hanging over them, no matter what the weather is outside. Their negative attitude is toxic to your own moods, and you probably feel like there is little you can do about it.

But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

If you want to effectively deal with negative people and be a champion of positivity, then your best route is to take definite action through some of the steps below.

1. Limit the time you spend with them.

First, let’s get this out of the way. You can be more positive than a cartoon sponge, but even your enthusiasm has a chance of being afflicted by the constant negativity of a friend.

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In fact, negativity has been proven to damage your health physically, making you vulnerable to high levels of stress and even cardiac disease. There’s no reason to get hurt because of someone else’s bad mood.

Though this may be a little tricky depending on your situation, working to spend slightly less time around negative people will keep your own spirits from slipping as well.

2. Speak up for yourself.

Don’t just absorb the comments that you are being bombarded with, especially if they are about you. It’s wise to be quick to listen and slow to speak, but being too quiet can give the person the impression that you are accepting what’s being said.

3. Don’t pretend that their behavior is “OK.”

This is an easy trap to fall into. Point out to the person that their constant negativity isn’t a good thing. We don’t want to do this because it’s far easier to let someone sit in their woes, and we’d rather just stay out of it.

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But if you want the best for this person, avoid giving the false impression that their negativity is normal.

4. Don’t make their problems your problems.

Though I consider empathy a gift, it can be a dangerous thing. When we hear the complaints of a friend or family member, we typically start to take on their burdens with them.

This is a bad habit to get into, especially if this is a person who is almost exclusively negative. These types of people are prone to embellishing and altering a story in order to gain sympathy.

Why else would they be sharing this with you?

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5. Change the subject.

When you suspect that a conversation is starting to take a turn for the negative, be a champion of positivity by changing the subject. Of course, you have to do this without ignoring what the other person said.

Acknowledge their comment, but move the conversation forward before the euphoric pleasure gained from complaining takes hold of either of you.

6. Talk about solutions, not problems.

Sometimes, changing the subject isn’t an option if you want to deal with negative people, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still be positive.

I know that when someone begins dumping complaints on me, I have a hard time knowing exactly what to say. The key is to measure your responses as solution-based.

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You can do this by asking questions like, “Well, how could this be resolved?” or, “How do you think they feel about it?”

Use discernment to find an appropriate response that will help your friend manage their perspectives.

7. Leave them behind.

Sadly, there are times when we have to move on without these friends, especially if you have exhausted your best efforts toward building a positive relationship.

If this person is a family member, you can still have a functioning relationship with them, of course, but you may still have to limit the influence they have over your wellbeing.

That being said, what are some steps you’ve taken to deal with negative people? Let us know in the comments.